Online sales make it tough to identify counterfeits, too. "People go to China and buy a whole set of counterfeit Callaway golf clubs for $300, and then they bring it back here, put it on eBay and sell it as legitimate stuff," Trainer says.
Ebay admits that for a marketplace where 3.5 million new goods are put up for auction daily, it's a difficult battle. "Our policy is we don't allow it," says eBay spokesman Hani Durzy. "The problem is, how do you tell? We are in no position to judge whether something could be counterfeit or not."
A pair of genuine London Fog jackets. Online buying has made it harder for consumers to spot fakes, which sometimes even show up on reputable sites.
(Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)
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But eBay cooperates with those who can judge -- the manufacturers -- through its VeRO (Verified Rights Owner) program. It allows 8,000 member manufacturers and artists to file notices about any eBay listing they determine violates their copyrights. "If they are reported to us, we pull those listings," Durzy says.
And Gooding's jacket? He entered a bid on eBay. An hour before the auction's end, eBay shut it down as a suspected knockoff. Gooding bought a jacket from Lands' End.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
For information on eBay's fraud-reporting process, visit the "Security and Resolution Center" on www.ebay.com.
To report counterfeiting, check the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition's Web site at www.iacc.org or call 202-223-6667.
For information on the Motion Picture Association of America's anti-piracy program, go to www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/.
Got a consumer complaint? Questions? Helpful tips? E-mail details to oldenburgd@washpost.comor write Don Oldenburg, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
